Sports Talk Radio
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being the first all-sports radio station in 1987, although a plethora of similar
programming was begun at this time (Gullifor, 2006). The popularity of these
stations and their shows was based on their ability to cater to their specific
regional audiences and to allow these audiences to participate in the dialogue,
establishing a shared experience around their local teams and athletes. More
significant growth to the sports talk radio genre next occurred in the 1990s when
stations moved from predominantly local coverage of sports towards a format
that could draw wider audiences by covering sports in a national format with
syndicated programming (Reffiie, 2006). Small but consistent increases in
market share continue to be seen in recent years (Arbitron, 2008).
With today’s rising costs to attend events and excellent home viewing
capabilities, fans might still encounter sports as a solitary experience, in many
ways as distant from the actual game as the old-time fan. This has allowed
sports talk radio to maintain a unique position with its ability to both share and
create narrative. The fan may have seen the play (or not, given the multitude of
games), but the radio host and other fans provide added perspectives, including
expertise as former players or coaches, or historical knowledge that a newer or
younger listener lacks. At times, the narrative may even create its own reality.
Zagacki and Grano (2005) assert that fans often collectively construct their own
world through the radio, populated by the personas of the contributors, due to
the power of this “rhetorical community.” It is this potential of sports talk radio
to go beyond narrative to create this type of community dynamic that is perhaps
the next step in sports talk radio’s evolution and contribution to cultural and
social relevance.
What’s Community Got to Do with It?
Radio’s role in connecting audiences has been well established: its cultural
relevance solidified through generations of war announcements and family
entertainment programs as well as through various sports formats. However, in a
society flooded with media that provides immediate interface and access, can
this legacy continue? Is radio still a relevant part of popular culture? Beyond
establishing a shared experience for its listeners, does sports talk radio actually
give rise to a community? Is simple exposure to a common experience enough
to create community, especially when the listener-participants are predominantly
anonymous to each other? Beyond a mutual interest in sports, what is needed to
develop a community? What is the value of having a communal experience such
as this?
Defining what constitutes community has long been a struggle for scholars
and practitioners alike. George Hillery’s oft-cited work in 1955 established 94
definitions of the concept, concluding that the only universal element was that
“all of the definitions deal with people; beyond this common basis, there is no
agreement.” However, the basic components consistently center around “social
relationships” that are based on some shared facet, “usually a common sense of
identity” (Scott & Marshall, 2007, p. 107). The need for the group’s members to
be located in geographic proximity does not seem critical for the concept of